Biography of Lord Strathcona and Mount RoyalChapter XXII. Canada from 1838 to 1914

It requires an effort to imagine what Canada was
like when Donald A. Smith landed in 1838. In fact, the very name "Canada,"
as applied to the country then, is a misnomer. At that time, there was no
Canada as we understand it. The larger part of it was an unknown country.
There was a fringe of population following the course of the River St.
Lawrence and lining the shores of the Atlantic and Lakes Ontario and Erie.
There were in this fringe knots, here and there, that might be called
towns - Halifax, Quebec, Montreal, Toronto. The time was nearly thirty
years before the Dominion was born, before Confederation became an
established fact. The people in the extreme east were gathered in
different sections—Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
These were more intimately associated, geographically, with the people to
the south than with the other parts of British North America. They were
British and were loyal to the old country, but, naturally, their
intercourse, socially and commercially, was largely with the people of New
England. Farther west was a French population with Quebec as their centre,
speaking a different language and holding a. different form of religion.
Still farther west on the Upper St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario and Lake
Erie, and even as far as Lake Huron, was to be found, perhaps, the most
prosperous and enterprising community off all, largely of Scotch
extraction, rigidly Protestant and intensely loyal. That was the limit of
the country then. It was covered with great forests and for hundreds of
miles north of the southern boundary these stretched silent, unbroken,
uninhabited save here and there by some enterprising settler who was
hewing for himself a home out of the ''forest primeval."

Between those different sections there was little in
common. Each lived its own life in its own way and there was but slight
communication between them. Ontario and Quebec, or as they were then
called, "Upper" and "Lower Canada," by reason of their contiguity were
more closely associated. They really constituted the body of the Canada
that was to be and it was among these people so widely different in
language and religion and ideals of life that the struggles took place, in
their battle for responsible government, which make the first half of the
nineteenth century so interesting and memorable. But that was the
situation: a country of vast extent, stretching from the Atlantic, west to
the Pacific, and from the lakes, north to the Arctic, with a few people
scattered along its frontier, with no bond of unity, no railways, no
canals, little money, little education, few conveniences and a government
altogether unsuited to the needs of the people and incapable of grappling
with the practical problems of the time, while away beyond this sparsely
inhabited frontier line there stretched, north and west, for hundreds and
thousands of miles, an immense country, millions of acres of fertile land,
of which those in the east knew little or nothing, and in which they had
no interest. It was given over to the hunter and fur trader, to the Indian
and the buffalo.

When Donald A. Smith reached the country, affairs
had reached a crisis and the discontent and dissatisfaction had actually
broken out into armed rebellion. That outbreak was not successful, but it
served to call the attention of the home authorities to the critical state
of affairs. The famous report of Lord Durham threw further light on the
situation and led to steps being taken to give some measure of
self-government to the Canadian people. But the privilege in its fullness
was granted slowly. The British Government was reluctant to give up its
direct control and it was only the deep-rooted loyal sentiment of the
people that prevented a recurrence of what had taken place in the American
Revolution. But wiser councils in time prevailed and slowly but surely the
principle of representative government was recognized, and the direct rule
from Downing Street was done away. The difficulties of government,
however, were far from being settled. Upper and Lower Canada had formed a
kind of union. The leadership of the Parliament was a double-barreled
arrangement, as for example, the Macdonald-Cartier Government, one of the
leaders representing the French of Lower Canada and the other the English
speaking people of Upper Canada. It was a makeshift arrangement and was
not satisfactory. The two races did not pull together very well.

By the terms of the agreement, each Province was to
have the same number of representatives. This was all right at first but,
as the Upper Province began to forge ahead and outstrip the Lower in
population and wealth and general progress, friction was inevitable. The
Province of Ontario found that it was paying the bulk of the taxes and had
only an equal say in their distribution, and this was regarded as a
grievance. But the whole system of government by detachments was far from
satisfactory. There was a lack of unity which made common action
impossible. The Maritime Provinces raised their revenues by customs
duties. The goods of one crossing the border in another were compelled to
pay a tariff. They were in fact a group of little communities with only
one thing to hold them together, namely, the sentimental tie that held
them to the Old Land. Jealousies and rivalries and local interests were as
keen as if they were separate nationalities. And the statesmanship of the,
time was largely taken up with petty questions of Provincial rights and
Provincial advantage. The outlook was far from bright. However, in spite
of these difficulties, the country was growing. The population by 1851 was
2,377,182—not including those west of Ontario. By 1871, it. had increased
to 3,626,096, including 10,000 in Manitoba and 46,314 in British Columbia.
At the same time, the trade with outside countries was enlarging and by
1867 had reached the respectable total of over $140,000,000, exports and
imports. Immigration was coming in spite of the allurements of the United
States. The newcomers were chiefly from the British Isles—the Irish, owing
to unhappy conditions at home, coming in large numbers—and these new
arrivals, being British, chose, from sentimental reasons, to take up their
residence in a country which was under the British flag. They were a
splendid class of settlers and did noble pioneer work, putting up with all
kinds of hardships, pushing their way through all kinds of difficulties
and with industry and courage clearing away the great forests.

In Lord Durham's report, the idea of one central government for all Canada
with local governments to look after local affairs had been suggested.
During these difficult years the idea had been slowly taking root and was
beginning to take practical shape in the minds of the leaders of the
people. There is no need to repeat the story of difficulties and
prejudices that had to be overcome. Suffice it to say they were overcome,
mainly through the efforts of Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir George Cartier,
Alexander Galt, and, not by any means least, George Brown. The scheme of
Federation was evolved and in 1867 the Dominion of Canada became an
accomplished fact. When Donald Smith entered the Hudson Bay Company's
service, a youth of eighteen years, Canada was a group of disjecta
membra. When thirty years later he emerged from the northern wilds,
the head of the company, a man forty-eight years of age, he found these
scattered parts joined together in a Federal Union, under one government,
and for the first time prepared to take united action. But even then, only
four Provinces, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, were
included under the new Government. Prince Edward Island, British Columbia
and all the North-west were still outside. It was some time before the
circle was complete and the Dominion extended from ocean to ocean. It was
then. and then only, that Canada was in a position politically to go
forward on the road of national progress. The advances, previously made,
were sporadic and sectional. They are not to be lightly spoken of but were
really preparatory to larger movements and more concerted performance.

How wonderfully the country has grown during the period covered by the
life of Lord Strathcoria is shown by a study of some of the outstanding
features in industries, transportation, education, population and finance.
It will not be possible to more than glance at these but even the most
superficial survey cannot fail to impress us with the fact of
unprecedented progress. In the matter of transportation alone the results
are almost incredible. In 1850 there were less than sixty miles of railway
in Canada. By 1861 the mileage had not reached 3,000, while in 1913 it was
over 29,000. The country is covered with railroads and the continent is
spanned by two through lines while a third is nearing completion. When one
thinks of what that means, the physical difficulties overcome, the immense
sums of money involved, the enormous amount of business required to
justify such colossal expenditure ($1,548,256,796, estimated), one begins
to realize what changes have taken place. And transportation by water has
not been neglected. Millions have been spent in canals, the chief of these
being the "Soo," the Welland and the St. Lawrence canals, but there are
many others. The way has been opened to the sea from Fort William at the
head of Lake Superior for vessels drawing fourteen feet of water. It is
planned ultimately to deepen these to thirty-one feet, making it possible
for ocean-going steamers to carry their cargoes to the head of the Great
Lakes. Instead of the sailing vessels which carried on trade with the Old
Country, magnificent steamers have regular sailings from both the east and
west coasts of Canada. The Allan line put on the first steamer in 1852.
To-day there are many lines of splendid steamers which, starting from
Montreal, connect Canada with Europe. In 1860 the Prince of Wales
(afterwards King Edward VII) opened the Victoria Bridge, crossing the
River St. Lawrence at Montreal. For that time it was a marvellous
structure costing $7,000,000. Before that the famous Suspension Bridge had
been flung across Niagara River at the ''Falls." All this work on land and
water indicates how the country was going ahead.

The intellectual progress is shown by the attention which has been given
to education. Now the different Provinces vie with one another in the
effort to perfect their educational systems. A premium is put upon
intelligence-common schools, grammar schools, high schools, colleges and
universities are within reach of all. Canada has 1,200,000 children going
to school. Nearly 10,000 students attend the universities—chief of which
are Toronto, Queen's and McGill. Nearly ninety per cent. of those who are
five years and over can read and write.

The expansion of trade and the increase of revenue are proofs of the
growth of the Dominion during this period. The two Canadas, Upper and
Lower, at the time of Confederation, had a revenue of somewhere about
$10,000,000, while the trade of the four Provinces that first united was
between 140 and 150 millions of dollars, export and import. Then followed
the inclusion of Prince Edward Island, the North-west and British Columbia
and though, for some years, the growth was slow and disappointing, owing
to several causes, such as the lack of transportation, several bad crops,
the universal depression, the difficulty of securing and keeping
immigrants and the draining of our people by the United States, still
there was progress and in the latter part of the 90's that progress became
phenomenal. Settlers began to pour into the country, trade increased by
leaps and bounds so that while in 1896 the total immigration was 21,716,
in 1912-13 it was 402,432. The population which in 1851 was less than two
and a half millions is now up to, if not over, the eight-million mark. The
Government which in 1867 had about $10,000,000 to administer has now a
revenue approaching $200,000,000. The volume of trade which in 1867 was
between 140 and 150 millions of dollars has swollen to the enormous bulk
of over a billion. The prairies of the North-west have been divided into
three prosperous Provinces and are filling up with an industrious and
thriving population which last year raised over 200,000,000 bushels of
wheat, besides oats, barley, flax, etc. On all sides are to be seen the
signs of an unexampled material prosperity. Whether for good or bad,
Canada can now boast of her millionaire citizens and the simple life of
the early days has given place to the luxury and display which mark the
possession of wealth.

The growth of great cities has been phenomenal. When Lord Strathcona came
to Canada, the only cities of importance were Montreal with perhaps 35,000
population and Toronto with 13,000 or 15,000. But what a change did he see
take place! Montreal is now over 600,000, Toronto 500,000. In Canada there
are thirty cities as large as Toronto was in 1838 and in every respect
modern and up-to-date. In the West where was nothing but the trader's post
and the Indian wigwam, great cities have fairly sprung into
existence—Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Vancouver, Fort William and
a dozen important towns and cities of less population but all growing
rapidly and each the centre of a thriving agricultural district.

But perhaps more significant than anything else is the growth of the
national consciousness. It is a curious spirit that is developing on this
side of the sea—a spirit of sturdy independence, a determination to make
our own laws and control our own fiscal policy, and yet, at the same time,
a deepening of the sentiment which holds us to the Motherland. There is no
question about it. The day of dependence has gone. It was inevitable that
it should go. The term "Colony" has lost its significance. The idea of
partnership has taken its place. The conception of the destiny of the
British Empire has immensely broadened. Not domination by the Old Country
but co-operation with her in everything that makes for national value and
stability—that is the new spirit of the age which is possessing all the
Dominions over the sea. The people of Canada, having passed through the
primitive and pioneering stage, having settled the pressing local
problems, incident to the shaping of a new country, are prepared to assume
the responsibilities and duties that belong to maturity. They wish to join
the younger nations that fly the British flag in helping the great Empire
to become greater still, to make the story of the future even more
glorious than that of the past, and, true to the traditions and ideals
that have come down from former generations, to join with the land from
which they sprang in creating a world-power which will be a mighty factor
in promoting the best interests of humanity. The Canadian statesmen of
to-day are confronting a different situation from that which faced their
predecessors. To them has fallen the task of fitting this young and
vigorous nation to take its part on the broad stage of Imperial interests.

Many great men have contributed to this result. For a long time John A.
Macdonald controlled the destinies of the Dominion. From 1867 till his
death in 1891 (with the exception of five years, 1873-8, during which
Alexander Mackenzie was in office), he was Prime Minister of Canada.
Before Confederation, Cartier, Brown, Howe, Galt and others had done much
to shape the course of events, but for a quarter of a century before his
death he was the most conspicuous figure in Canadian polities. He had a
hand in all the great movements of that critical time. Soon after his
death, another man, still living, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, was Premier for
fifteen years, and occupied that position in a manner worthy of his great
predecessor. Both these men, Macdonald and Laurier, gathered about them
distinguished and able workers. In Laurier's time the efforts of the past
came to fruition and the development of Canada proceeded at a tremendous
rate. Canada came to the front and became a household word in every part
of the British Dominion. And of all the men who contributed to that
magnificent result, none was more worthy than the subject of this
biography. He had not only seen it develop but had been one of its most
active agents. In all the great events he had been a participator. He had
devoted his life to the welfare of his country and, in his old age, no
interest was dearer to the heart of Lord Strathcona than the interest of
Canada, and nothing gave him greater satisfaction than the reflection that
he had had no small part in elevating her to her present position. Few men
have been so fortunate as to live long enough to see their efforts crowned
with such success. He found Canada an insignificant colony, restless under
misgovernment, with all the forces—race, religion and isolation—that make
for discord and division, with little knowledge, even of its own territory
and rich resources, occupied with matters of purely local interest, with
no common objective and but the faintest conception of its splendid
destiny. He lived long enough to see it become an organized unity, its
vast territories explored and brought under proper government, its sources
of wealth amazingly developed, the institutions of learning and religion
firmly established, a population rapidly increasing and marked by the
qualities that make a nation solid, a broadening of the vision and a birth
of that larger spirit which concerns itself with matters of world-wide
importance. He was a witness of this marvellous transformation but he had
not been an idle spectator. From the earliest years of his life, when his
influence and opportunity were limited, to the latest years, when he was
recognized as one of the "great Canadians" and was the possessor of
unlimited means and wielded unquestioned influence, he had thrown himself
with energy and courage into every struggle, had encouraged every
enterprise, had put himself behind every movement that made for progress,
had been to the front in settling the great political, financial and
transportation problems which were staggering in their difficulty—in
short, had devoted himself to his country's good. It is pleasant to think
that he was spared long enough to outlive the criticism and hostility
inseparable from an active public career, to enjoy the friendship and
esteem of all classes and last, but not least, to see the country, in
whose progress he had been so deeply interested, take such a proud and
commanding position among the younger nations of the Empire.

This comment system requires
you to be logged in through either a Disqus account or an
account you already have with Google, Twitter, Facebook or
Yahoo. In the event you don't have an account with any of these
companies then you can create an account with Disqus. All
comments are moderated so they won't display until the moderator
has approved your comment.